Up North
by afret2010
Summary: After turning down Casey's proposal Jane takes a little time away to think things through. At the last minute she asks Maura to come with her.
1. Up North

**A/N: So, here's what you should know about this fic before you start reading it, especially if you've read my other fics. I usually like to get right to the "important bits of a scene without a lot of setup or description of the surroundings. I've always admired writers who are good at writing those kind of details so this fic is an exercise for me trying to spend more time setting the scene and describing the surroundings. Because of that you may find this fic moves a bit slowly, especially if you liked the writing style on my earlier fics. If so I wont be offended if you decided to stop reading after the first chapter. For those of you who stick around I promise Rizzles before all is said and done, because I don't right 'em any other way ;-)**

**Also, the first draft of this fic is written. I'll be posting chapters as I edit them so no worries that I wont finish this fic. It's already done I just need to edit each chapter before I post them. Enjoy. **

**Oh yeah, I don't own Rizzoli and Isles (Wouldn't it be great if I did?) and I'm not making any money from this story.**

Maura supposed she shouldn't have been surprised when Jane showed up at her office door Friday afternoon with her overnight bag slung over her shoulder and told her she wouldn't be able to make drinks at the Robber tonight or movie night after that. In the seven years they'd known each other Maura had seen Jane do this multiple times a year, especially after a particularly trying case. She was rarely gone more than a few days and when questioned about where she was going would never be more specific than up north. Although Maura's curiosity was almost more than she could stand, she appreciated the fact that Jane always seemed to return from these trips rested and more centered than when she left. Not that Jane would say it that way. Again, when pressed Jane would simply say she needed to "recharge her batteries."

Nonetheless, Maura was a bit surprised. They hadn't had a particularly difficult case in weeks. She supposed this trip had more to do with Jane's personal life than her professional one. Casey's proposal (ultimatum if you asked Maura, which Jane didn't) had thrown Jane for a loop and turning Casey down, though clearly the right thing to do, seemed to have put Jane into an introspective mood. Maura knew, as a best friend, she ought to have been able to help Jane through this difficult time but her own feelings made it difficult for her to give Jane an unbiased sounding board on which she could work through her feelings about ending her tumultuous relationship with Casey. In truth, Maura was afraid if she spoke to Jane about her relationship with Casey, Jane would figure out that Maura had feelings for her. That she was, in fact, in love with her best friend. Even if Maura could get past her fear of being rejected by Jane she didn't think this was the best time to confess her love, considering the emotional rollercoaster Jane had been on recently with Casey.

So, absent a best friend to help her work through this difficult time, perhaps it wasn't all that surprising that Jane was heading off to her private refuge to work it all out. It broke Maura's heart that she couldn't be a better friend, that Jane felt the need to go off alone during such a difficult time in her life and deal with it alone "up north." As hard as she tried to hide them, some hint of these feelings must have shone on Maura's face because Jane hesitated as she turned to leave Maura's office.

"Maur, is everything okay?" Jane asked with concern coloring her tone.

"Oh!" Maura exclaimed, surprised and chagrined that her face had given her away. "I'm fine Jane. You have a good trip." She managed with a weak smile.

"Okay," Jane drew the word out, making no move to leave Maura's office. As Maura watched her Jane seem to go through a short internal debate. Then taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly she asked. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Yes!" Maura answered almost before Jane got the question out. Then she backpedalled, "I mean if you're sure, I wouldn't want to intrude on your private time?"

"You wouldn't be intruding. I've been wanting to ask you for a long time but I never know more than a day in advance that I'm going and I know you prefer to plan a trip."

"It's true, normally I like to have more notice when I'm going away, but sometimes it's nice to be spontaneous." Maura said smiling. Truth be told, before she met Jane, Maura rarely did anything on the spur of the moment. Spontaneity was one of the many wonderful new things Jane had brought into Maura's life. Nonetheless, Maura felt the need to ensure she wouldn't be in the way of Jane's healing process; that Jane hadn't extended the invitation out of pity. "But I'll understand if you want to be alone; I know you have some things to work through. I wouldn't want to get in the way…"

"You're never in the way Maura. You are my way." Jane blushed, clearly embarrassed by what she had just said, but Maura beamed, touched beyond words by the sentiment.

"What should I pack?" Maura was standing in the middle of her walk-in closet. Her suitcase, laid open on her bed, already had the essentials; toiletries, underwear, etc., but she had no idea what kind of clothes to bring. Knowing Jane it was safe to assume that she wouldn't need anything fancy but that still left a wide range of possibilities.

Per Jane's instruction she had arranged to be gone all weekend and Monday and Tuesday as well. Then Jane had followed her home so she could drop off her car and pack. Angela, who was already watching Jo Friday for Jane, had agreed to mind Bass as well. She seemed surprised but pleased that Jane was taking Maura with her for the trip.

"Casual clothes" Jane replied. "Jane casual, not Maura casual," she clarified, "jeans, a sweater, and hiking boots if you have some, sneakers will work if you don't."

"I own hiking boots!" Maura exclaimed indignantly. "I love hiking" she added pulling out a pair of pristine hiking boots that looked like they'd never been worn let alone seen a mile or two of rough trail. She added them to the suitcase along with two pairs of designer jeans and three sweaters. All of which, Jane suspected were cashmere. She smiled and held her tongue. In truth she'd expected Maura to put up more of a fight about not bringing a dress or at least one skirt and a nice top. She almost laughed out loud when Maura added a classic black pencil skirt to the suitcase that would go quite nicely with anyone of the sweaters.

"You really can't help yourself can you." Jane said with an amused grin as Maura added a nice pair of pumps and stockings to the already full suitcase.

"I like to be prepared," Maura replied only mildly defensive, "you never know when you might need to dress to impress."

"Trust me where we're going those designer jeans and cashmere sweaters will be more than impressive enough," Jane remarked, grabbing Maura's suitcase, skirt and pumps still inside, and exiting the room. "Don't forget to grab a coat on the way out, something to protect you against wind and rain. It can get pretty nasty this time of year."

Maura did as Jane suggested and followed her out to the car where Jane was throwing her suitcase into the back seat next to her own duffle bag.

Closing the back door Jane opened the front passenger side door for Maura without even thinking about it. Maura thanked her and got in so accustomed to such gallantry from Jane that it barely registered with her either.

Glancing at the clock as she pulled out of Maura's driveway Jane said, "It's still early, why don't we put a few miles behind us before we stop for dinner. I'd at least like to get out of the city before we stop, maybe even out of the state."

"That sounds good" Maura replied, curbing her curiosity regarding their destination for the time being. She was content to enjoy the ride sitting next to Jane. She reached over and flipped on the radio and was surprised to hear country music fill the car. "Country Jane? I never would have pegged you for a country music fan."

"I don't listen to it all of the time but when the mood is right it just seems like they're singing right to me, ya know. Like the person who wrote the song has 'been there and done that'. Besides, the tunes are catchy. They make you want to sing along. You can change it if you like. I'll listen to just about anything but heavy metal or easy listening. Screaming guitars set my teeth on edge and elevator music puts me to sleep!"

"Actually, I enjoy listening to country music myself now and then" Maura replied. "It's like listening to someone's life stories set to music. You can learn a lot about real life listening to country music."

Jane couldn't help but wonder if her socially awkward best friend ever listened to country music in an attempt to better understand the people she met outside her morgue, the living people who's actions often baffled the "dumb genius." It made Jane a sad thinking about it and she hoped Maura knew she could always come to her for that now. Jane would never belittle Maura or make her feel like an outsider for not understanding the way lesser mortals (at least that's how Jane saw them compared to Maura) interacted with one another. Jane smiled to herself thinking that one of the many things she loved about Maura was her inability to comprehend the petty motivations of people who were primarily concerned with getting ahead or looking good in front of others.

"And as you say the melodies are quite engaging." Maura continued, bringing Jane out of her reverie and back into the conversation.

They travelled north on I95 for the better part of 2 hours, leaving Massachusetts behind and not long after that leaving New Hampshire for Maine. This time of year the roads weren't nearly as crowded as they were in the summer but they were fortunate to get an early start and avoid the leaf peepers heading north for the weekend to enjoy a bit of fall color. When the signs for Portland began popping up Jane asked if Maura wanted to stop for something to eat, and they pulled off the highway and stopped a restaurant called Ocean Garden in the town of Gorham, which Jane explained was a primarily a bedroom community for the city of Portland.

The menu boasted that they had Maine lobster year round but Jane told Maura to get anything but the lobster.

"Is the lobster that bad here?" Maura asked, curious as to why Jane would warn her away from it especially since she had been thinking she would avail herself of the local specialty.

"I wouldn't know" Jane replied. "I've never actually had it."

"They why…" Maura began.

"It's not that the lobster here is that bad it's just that it's that good where we're going," Jane explained.

"Oh" Maura replied, and finally she couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. "Where _are_ we going?" she asked.

"North" Jane replied cryptically. Enjoying teasing her friend just a bit.

"We're still in southern Maine, Jane." Maura replied with exasperation. "There's quite a bit of 'north' to go from here before we leave the state of Maine and even more if we pass into Canada, although you didn't tell me to bring a passport so I assume we wont be leaving the USA. Could you be more specific?"

"Downeast" Jane replied wondering if Maura's seemingly endless knowledge of geography would extend as far as the area of Maine referred to as "Downeast." She was not disappointed.

"Oh!" Maura exclaimed delightedly. "That's supposed to be a beautiful area. I've always wanted to visit, especially in the fall! Where exactly are we going?"

"It's a small lobster fishing village just up the coast a bit from Bar Harbor called Corea. The place we're staying is right on the coast."

"That sounds lovely. How did you find it?" Maura was genuinely curious. She couldn't imagine how Jane, the die-hard city girl, had ever found herself in a remote village on the coast of Maine.

"The place we're staying belongs to a friend of mine, Grace McLure. Actually, she used to babysit my brothers and I when we were younger. She was the coolest babysitter ever. Unlike all the other babysitters we ever had she never ignored us to talk to her friends or boys on the phone, or to do homework, or watch TV.

She was a tomboy like me. I don't think I ever saw her wear a skirt or a dress. She'd play catch with us in the yard, or tag, or hide and seek, and when it was time for bed she'd throw Tommy and Frankie over her shoulders and drag them up stairs screeching with laughter. Then she'd read them stories until they fell asleep. She'd let me sit in their room with them until she was done then she'd send me off to bed too.

She was the first girl I ever knew who was like me. She made me realize it was okay for a girl to prefer GI Joe over Barbie. In fact, we stayed in touch long after I was old enough to take over babysitting duties for my brothers. She joined the Air Force after college. I think she's probably the main reason I had the courage to become a cop."

Maura was fascinated by this new insight into Jane's youth and loathe to interrupt since Jane seemed to be in a rare talkative mood.

"When she retired from the Air Force a few of years ago," Jane continued, "she moved up to Maine to be near her folks who retired 20 years earlier and started snowbirding between Maine and Florida. They gave the place to Grace a few years back when they moved into a senior living place down in Florida. Now they only come up to Maine a few weeks each summer. They were still living there when I first started visiting. It was right after Hoyt. Grace had seen the story on the news and called to invite me up to recuperate." Jane was subdued for a moment as she recalled one of the worst times of her life and Maura wracked her brain for something to say. But Jane soon shook off her melancholy mood and continued. "Back then Grace told me I was welcome anytime I needed to decompress after a difficult case or when I just felt like getting away.

Wait 'til you see it Maur. Like I said, it's right on the coast and there's a main house and guest cottage that she rents out during the summer and fall. That's usually where I stay but if she's got renters I stay in the main house with her. We'll be staying in the guesthouse, which is cool because it is literally 10 yards from the water at high tide. The view is incredible." Jane stopped talking and Maura waited a moment to see if she would continue.

When she didn't Maura responded, "It sounds wonderful Jane. I can't wait to see it and to meet your friend."

"I'm really looking forward to you meeting her too Maur. She's lived all over the world in the military and she's smart too, not Maura Isles smart but she's working on her dissertation for her PhD right now. I think you'll have a lot to talk about."


	2. Meeting Grace

**A/N: Here's Chapter 2. I don't think I mentioned in my last author's note that I'm very familiar with the area I'm writing about. I figured it would be easier to describe a place I know then one I made up. Maybe I'll try that next time!**

**I still don't own Rizzoli & Isles and I'm still not making any money off this story :-(**

They finished dinner and got back on the road. By the time they got to Augusta it was starting to get dark so Jane decided against taking the more scenic U.S. Route 3 and stayed on I95 all the way up to Bangor Maine (where Maura informed her the famous author Stephen King lived) and then headed back south on U.S. Route 1. When they reached the city of Ellsworth, Route 1 veered east more or less following the ragged coast of Maine until they left it to follow Maine Route 195 to their destination.

The car rattled and bounced over potholes and areas where the edge of the road had practically disintegrated. "Now you know why I insisted we take my old beater instead of your practically new Prius. The back roads around here all like this. You can lose a tire if you're not paying attention and even if you are they'll rattle the teeth right out of your head!"

"That is improbable, although not impossible Jane," the ever-literal Maura responded.

"Tell me that again after we've driven around here all weekend," was Jane's amused response.

Maura lamented arriving at their destination in the dark. "I wish I could have seen the town as we drove through it" she sighed.

"There's not much of a town see Maur. Aside from the Post Office and the Lobster Co-op there's a couple of businesses related to the tourist trade, a couple of B&B's an art gallery slash crafts shop, and that's about it. I promise we'll take a walk tomorrow and I'll show you the whole place in about fifteen minutes." Jane assured her. "Be sure to bring your camera though. Corea harbor is one of the most photographed harbors in Maine, partly because it's so picturesque and partly because Corea is the stereotypical Maine fishing village."

Eventually, Jane pulled off the road and onto a driveway. The street side of house was dark but as soon as they pulled around it the light from a lamppost between the main house and the guest cottage was more than bright enough for Maura to get a feel for the place. The first thing she realized was that the main house was actually a log cabin, albeit a very large, two story one but a log cabin nonetheless. It wasn't what she was expecting at all, but the lights shining out of the windows gave it a very welcoming appearance especially on a dark night that, upon exiting the vehicle, Maura realized had become quite cold.

Maura also became aware of the smell of the ocean (salt and seaweed with just a hint of dead fish) and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. She looked in the direction of the sound and gasped. Past a gnarled evergreen that vaguely resembled a Joshua tree, the light of a harvest moon glistened on the undulating surface of the night dark water. She knew it was clichéd but all she could think of was diamonds glistening in the moonlight. In the distance she could make out the outline of a small island less than a half-mile off the coast and the bell from a buoy somewhere out of sight made a soft and lonely clanging sound in the distance.

"It still takes my breath away on night's like this," the unfamiliar voice coming from just a few feet away startled Maura. She had been so wrapped up in taking in the sights and sounds she hadn't heard Grace's approach.

She spun around placing her hand over her heart and uttered a startled "oh my!"

"Sorry," Grace said with genuine concern "I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"It's my own fault" Maura responded. "I was so enraptured by your view I wasn't paying attention to anything else."

"You like that view check this out" she touched a few buttons on a remote control in her hand and one by one the lights in the house, on the porch, and on the lamppost in the yard went out. "Look up" Grace commanded.

Maura did as she was told and exclaimed, "Ooohh, it's so beautiful. I can't remember the last time I saw so many stars." The stars were so clear the smaller, more distant ones that she could never hope to see in Boston, appeared like dust between the larger ones. Maura marveled at the vastness of the Milky Way spread out before her.

"One of the many benefits of living at the ends of the earth, literally. We have very little light pollution. One of the few changes I made when my folks gave me this place was to put all the lights on remote control so I could come out here whenever I wanted, turn all the lights off and stargaze. It makes me realize what a small part of creation I am yet, somehow, it never makes me feel insignificant."

In spite of herself Maura shivered in the cold night air, having left her jacket in the car. "Forgive me!" Grace apologized. "Here I am showing off the view when I should be inviting you in and offering you a hot drink and some thing to eat."

"But it's such a lovely view," Maura cried, reluctant to leave it behind so soon.

"No worries, it will still be there tomorrow," Grace assured her, leading them into the main house, "well probably."

Jane chuckled but Maura just looked confused. "Where would it go?" she asked, truly curious.

"Out here on the coast the view often likes to play hide and seek in the fog, especially this time of year," Grace informed her with a rueful smile.

"Yes of course," Maura replied and went on to explain the meteorological phenomena that resulted in the coast of Maine often being fog bound during the summer and fall.

Grace grinned at Jane and said, "You weren't kidding were you?"

Jane glanced fondly at Maura and said, "Nope, smartest person I know."

Maura blushed and apologized, "I'm sorry as Jane no doubt told you I have a tendency to go googlemouth sometimes."

"Actually, I think she used the term Maurapedia. She said you were even better than Wikipedia because you're facts were actually verified before you 'published' them. And don't you dare apologize for sharing what you know. In case you hadn't noticed I'm fond of reading myself." Grace gestured at the wall behind her.

At which point Maura took the time to take in their surroundings. They had entered the house between the kitchen, which was off to the right of the door and the living room, which was off to the left. Directly in front of them was a brick wall, which turned out to be the side of the fireplace in the living room. While the kitchen was a spacious one-story room with cream colored shelves, granite countertops and modern appliances, the living room was two stories tall with log walls, except for the far wall, which was covered floor to ceiling with shelves holding books, curios, and unless Maura was mistaken a few valuable antiques. The books showed a wide variety of interests from romance novels and science fiction to classics like David Copperfield and Pride and Prejudice, and multitude of books on public policy, generational theory and managing multi-generational work forces. Maura guessed correctly that Grace's dissertation had something to do with generational theory. It was a topic she knew very little about but what little she had read she found fascinating. The idea that people raised with similar cultural experiences would share certain personality traits was controversial at best but it made a kind of intuitive sense to her. Applying that knowledge in some useful way in the workforce was another thing all together.

Maura found herself smiling. She had a feeling she was going to like Grace. She was clearly well traveled and well educated but she had an easy way about her that made Maura feel welcome and comfortable being herself.

"So can I get you guys some coffee or tea? I'm a tea drinker myself but I always keep some coffee around. It shouldn't be too old? If I know Jane you stopped at Ocean Garden for dinner on the way here but I picked up a blueberry pie and some carrot cake at the library's bake sale this weekend. There are some incredible bakers around here."

"I'd love a cup of tea and some pie," Maura said.

"Coffee for me and I'll have some of the pie as well," Jane added.

"Excellent, I'll get our tea started Maura. Jane you now your way around the Kuerig right? Would anyone like some vanilla bean ice cream with their pie?"

Both women answered in the affirmative and Grace set about preparing the tea and cutting pieces of pie while Jane filled the Kuerig with water and found the K-cup she wanted. Maura took a seat at the kitchen table, which was set in a bay window that must have had an incredible view of the ocean when the sun was up. She took the opportunity to study their hostess. Grace was neither tall nor short. Maura estimated her height at 5'4" or 5'5" and about 115 pounds. She was fit and pretty if not a classic beauty. She wore very little make-up but it was enough. Maura could definitely see the tomboy Jane had described underneath Grace's worldly exterior. She wore a well-worn pair of jeans and a comfortable sweater over a turtleneck. Her golden blonde hair was cut short and Maura's expert eye put her age near 50 though she knew most folks would peg her age closer to 40.

"Were you a pilot in the Air Force?" Maura asked.

Grace chuckled, "You have to see to be a pilot," she said. "Without my contacts I'd need a dog to find an aircraft on the tarmac. No, I was personnel officer."

"Well that would fit well with your research into multi-generational workforces," Maura stated.

"Did Jane tell you about my research? I didn't think she paid attention when I talked about my studies."

"Hey!" Jane blurted out indignantly, "I listen when you talk, but I just told her you were working on your dissertation I didn't tell her what it was about."

"The books on your bookshelf," Maura offered by way of explanation, coloring slightly wondering if she'd overstepped.

"You're very observant. This one must give you a run for your money Detective Rizzoli. Good, someone needs to keep you on your toes." Graced said with a smirk in Jane's direction.

"You have no idea," Jane mumbled, taking her coffee mug and going to sit next to Maura at the table.

As the tea brewed, Grace cut and plated the pie adding a scoop of ice cream to each of the plates before setting one in front of each woman. They sat and talked while they ate their dessert and for a long while after they had finished. Grace embarrassed Jane with stories from her childhood and asked the women about their work. Maura asked about Grace's time in the military and the places she had lived. The two women had an animated conversation about Grace's research while Jane looked on with an indulgent smile. Pleased beyond words that these two important women in her life seemed to enjoy each other's company.

While they talked Grace watched the two women interact. The looks and touches they shared, seemingly without realizing they were doing it. The way they sat so close together and leaned into each other when they spoke. Jane had long ago confessed her feelings for Maura to Grace. At the time she had told Grace that Maura didn't return her feelings, that Maura was straight. Grace knew her gaydar was underdeveloped at best, tragic considering her own leanings in that area, but it was obvious to Grace, watching the women together, that Jane's feelings were reciprocated. She suspected that neither woman was aware of how the other felt. Maybe she could help with that in the short time they were here. Grace may not have been lucky enough to find her own true love (yet) but she was a hopeless romantic at heart. She couldn't see two people so obviously in love with each other and not want to see them end up together. If she could help make that happen, so much the better.

After talking for hours, Grace finally stood and said, "I should show you all to the cottage. I imagine you'll want to see the sunrise, it's spectacular when the clouds aren't blocking it out, but even this time of year it comes fairly early around here."

"How early?" Jane and Maura asked together and grinned at each other.

"Around 6 AM this time of year, during the longest days of summer it will start getting light at 4:30 in the morning. The blessing or curse of living so far east in the time zone, depending on your point of view. I'm a morning person so I kind of like it."

Grace led them to the guesthouse, stopping at Jane's car to help with their bags. "Jane, you know your way around the cottage. I've stocked the fridge with water, soda, fruit and snacks and some sandwich fixings. The pantry is stocked with non-perishables. You can cook for yourselves if you prefer, Jane knows where the local IGA is, but you're welcome to eat at the main house with me. We'll go over to the co-op at least one night and get some lobsters for steaming. You can't visit here, Maura, without eating some lobster fresh off the boat."

"That sounds wonderful," Maura gushed.

"Oh, by the way, I didn't have time to make up the trundle bed downstairs. I hope you won't mind sharing the queen-sized bed upstairs." Grace said as if it was an after thought trying valiantly to contain her smirk.

Jane peered at her suspiciously but said "that's fine."

"Oh yes, Jane and I share her bed whenever I spend the night at her apartment," Maura added, taking her suitcase from Grace and heading up the stairs to the second floor of the cottage

Graced raised her eyebrows at Jane grinning. Jane planted her face in her hands shaking her head. "She didn't mean that the way it sounded," she said blushing furiously.

"Whatever you say Jane," Grace was enjoying seeing the normally calm, cool and collected Jane Rizzoli with her feathers ruffled. "You two have a good night." She waggled her eyebrows at Jane for good measure and exited the cottage.


	3. Wash Ashore

**A/N: There's not a whole lot going on in this chapter just Jane and Maura enjoying their first morning in Maine. It's kind of a filler chapter. It wasn't planned that way it just worked out to be a good place to cut the chapters. I promise a bit more action on the relationship front in the next chapter. Until then I hope you enjoy this bit.**

**As always, no one pays me for these stories unless you count your reviews as payment. I really enjoy them and I try to respond to all of them. My e-mail notification seems to not be working so I apologize if I don't respond to your review promptly. I have to log in and check my story stats to see if I even have any reviews!**

Maura awoke to the sound of an engine idling roughly, seemingly right outside the window. It was dark in the room and for a moment she was disoriented. She could tell by the feel of the bed and the sounds both inside and out that this was not her bedroom nor even Jane's. At the thought of the lanky brunette Maura became aware of a warm body pressed against her back and an arm slung across her abdomen. That feeling at least was familiar and easily identifiable. Maura relaxed and gave her mind a few moments to recall the events of the day before, Jane's invitation, their drive up to Maine, meeting Jane's former babysitter and current friend, Grace.

About the time she had sorted it out she felt Jane stirring behind her, her arm flexing and relaxing against Maura's stomach. "Mornin'" Maura loved Jane's huskier than normal morning voice.

Neither woman made a move to separate from the other. In fact, they barely seemed to notice the position they were in or consider that it might not be appropriate for "friends" to spoon each other in bed.

"Good morning, Jane" Maura responded sounding just a bit proper considering their current position. "Do you know what's making that racquet outside the window?"

"Huh?" Jane responded somewhat in elegantly, clearly unaware of any racquet at first. Then she seemed to take a moment to listen. "Ah," she chuckled, "that's the fishing boats heading out to check their traps. Takes a bit of getting used to at first but after a while you hardly even notice it."

"But Jane it's dark out. It's," she paused to check the clock beside the bed. "Oh my god, it's not even 4:30 yet!"

"Yeah they get an early start. In the summer they head out even earlier. They're usually back in port by 3:00 or so in the afternoon" Jane explained.

"Why on earth do they start so early?" Maura wanted to know.

"Never asked," Jane replied, yawning loudly.

"I'm sorry," Maura was immediately contrite; "I didn't mean to wake you so early."

"That's okay, we can lay here and watch the sun come up over the ocean. The boats are going out so hopefully the weather is still good. Although sometimes they go out even when it's foggy. I've been here when it's so foggy you can't even see that island we saw last night and you can still hear the boats going out. Did you know the lobster fisherman around here have like 20 or 30 different terms for fog?"

"Really?" Maura was enthralled. Of course, she was as entranced as much by the sound of Jane's morning voice as she was by the information Jane was imparting.

"Yup," Jane replied. "I can only remember a few. Let's see there's Dungeness fog, pea soup fog, thicka fog, that's all I remember."

"It makes sense," Maura replied slipping into what Jane easily recognized as lecture mode. Not that she minded. Despite teasing Maura with terms like "Maurapedia" and "googlemouth" Jane loved listening to Maura geek out about the many things that interested her. Of course, she enjoyed the sound of Maura's voice almost as much as Maura enjoyed the sound of her's. "Eskimo's are the same way with snow, although there has been some debate since Anthropologist Franz Boas originally introduced it in the introduction to his 1911 book "Handbook of American Indian Languages." Most linguists considered it an urban legend, born of sloppy scholarship and journalistic exaggeration. Some have even gone as far as to name it the Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax but the latest evidence suggests that Boas was right all along."

"I guess when something like snow or fog is such an important part of your daily life it pays to be able to describe all the different nuances it can take on," Jane responded, surprising Maura not with the level of insight the comment showed so much as by the fact she was willing to demonstrate it. Jane tended to "hide her light under a bushel basket" when it came to her intelligence but Maura noticed more and more lately she didn't bother doing so around her. It made her proud and inordinately happy that this was the case. She loved talking with Jane like this.

"I guess I better open the blinds if we want to see the sun come up." Jane reluctantly hopped out of the warm bed and ran quickly across the room pulling on the cord to reveal sliding glass doors that covered almost the entire wall. In the predawn light Maura could make out a small deck with a couple of chairs off to one side.

Jane hurried back to the bed and resumed her spot behind Maura with her arm slung around Maura's middle. "Brrr, it's cold out there!" She husked, snuggling up to Maura's back.

The conversation continued, ranging over everything from lobster fishing, to why leaves turn different colors in the fall and the importance of carving a jack-o-lantern and putting it on your front porch on All Hallows' Eve. Nothing was said about work or personal relationships, which seemed to suit both women for the moment. In the back of their minds they both knew that there were more serious issues to be dealt with but by silent agreement they stayed away from them for now. Each enjoying the respite as they waited for the sun to come up.

It happened slowly, dark grey slowly warming to light grey and deep red just peeking over the horizon and slowly growing, lightening and changing. Deep red melted into a dark orange to a lighter orange shot through with pink, all painted the clouds that patterned the sky. And slowly as the ball of the sun began to appear on the horizon it all faded away to a golden morning light that warmed the land both literally and figuratively. The two had long since fallen silent. Entranced by the glory and wonder of the seemingly private show Mother Nature had put on for them.

When it was over, Jane sighed and said, "Why don't we go over to the main house and have some coffee and breakfast with Grace?"

"Jane, it's barely 6:15 we should wait a while."

Laughing Jane said, "If we wait any longer Grace will have eaten and be out and about running errands or doing chores. I guarantee she has been up at least an hour and already had her first cup of tea. She's probably holding off breakfast until she sees if we'll be joining her but that won't last long. Don't forget, she spent over 20 years in the military and now she lives in a place where folks are heading out to work at 4:30 in the morning! She's an early riser."

"Well I have to take a shower at least!" Maura exclaimed.

"That's fine, although you'd be perfectly okay wandering over their in your jammies. That's what I plan to do," Jane stated.

"I'll make it quick I promise," Maura said, jumping out of bed and scurrying to grab her clothes and toiletries.

"Okay, you should be able to find everything you need pretty easily but if not there's an intercom system over by the chimney. Just press the call button to let us know you need something and press an hold the talk button to speak once we respond," Jane explained.

"Got it. I'll see you in fifteen." Maura said, already undressing on her way into the small upstairs bathroom.

True to her word fifteen minutes later Maura exited the cottage and headed over to the log house. Wearing blue jeans and a sea foam green sweater over a darker green mock-turtle neck shirt with her still damp hair pulled back into a ponytail. She found Jane sitting at the table reading the local newspaper with a cup of coffee in her hand while Grace was sitting reading something on her tablet, an empty cup of tea by her place and a black and white cat dozing in her lap.

"Good morning, Maura. You look ready to take on the world today, or at least this little piece of the coast of Maine but not before some breakfast." Grace greeted her cheerfully.

"The Kuerig already has one of your favorite k cups loaded and ready to go" Jane told her, "you just have to hit the start button. I set out a mug for you too."

"There's milk or half and half in the fridge and sugar or Splenda beside the coffee maker." Grace added.

Maura set about preparing her coffee the way she liked it and took a seat at the table looking out at the view.

"Mother Nature put on quite a show for you guys this morning." Grace grinned at them both. "That was one of the prettier sunrises we've had in a while. I'm just glad we weren't fogged in. I love a foggy day but I hate to see them when someone new comes to visit. I like to show off the view and there's no better time than sunrise when the colors are on display."

"It was lovely," Maura enthused, " I don't ever recall seeing one with such rich and varied colors. You're lucky to live in such a beautiful place."

"Come visit me in January and see if you still think so," Grace challenged. "I'm just kidding, I love the winters up here but then I'm New England born and bread. Not many people who weren't born here stay through the winter. Actually that's one of the things I love about the winters here. They have a completely different feel. No tourists or summer residents, or people 'from away' as the locals refer to them. They're great for the economy but after a few months you can't wait for them to go home!"

"Aren't you 'from away'" Maura asked, curious about the distinction?

"Technically yes but I live here year round so they have a different term for folks like me. We're called "wash-ashores." It's a step above the folks "from away" but still a few steps below natives. It helps that I'm a veteran. The folks around here are very patriotic; they love their veterans. But I'll never be considered a native. That takes generations of living here!"

Grace picked up the cushion on her lap that contained the black and white cat and put it back on the spot she had been sitting. The cat harrumphed, adjusted his position and quickly went back to sleep. "Now what can I get everyone for breakfast? There's eggs, bacon, cereal, granola, Greek yoghurt; I like it with chopped walnuts. I was going to make myself an egg white omelet with onions, mushrooms and spinach and a little Parmesan cheese."

"An egg white omelet sounds wonderful," Maura answered. "but I'd be happy to make it myself."

"Nonsense" Grace scoffed. "The first breakfast you get for free. Starting tomorrow you can fend for yourself" she winked at Maura. "Let me guess Jane, cereal and milk with a side of bacon?"

"You know me so well." Jane smirked at her.

"Well, fine. You're not new here so you know where everything is. Go to it and feel free to add a few extra strips of bacon for the two of us." She smirked back at Jane, winking at Maura again, who guffawed in a very unlady-like manner.

Jane put on a mock scowl and pushed dramatically up from the table. "I see how you are. It's not like we haven't seen each other in months. I'm just your **_old_** friend. You take care of your **_new_** friend over there. Don't mind me; I can take care of myself"

"I know you can but do you thing you can do it without all the drama?" Grace smiled sweetly at Jane.

Jane finally burst out laughing and said "Yeah I think I can do that." She really was happy that Maura and Grace seemed to be getting along so well. She had hoped it would be that way but so many people were put off by Maura's intelligence and mannerisms. Grace, however, seemed intrigued by the intelligence and charmed by the mannerisms.


	4. Relationship Stuff

**A/N: Okay folks, here's the relationship stuff I promised last time. I'm really interested to hear what you think about it. Some of it I'm really happy with and some of it not so much so let me know what you think.**

**Rizzoli & Isles still belong to Tess Gerritson and the lucky folks at TNT. I make no money from writing this fic. I just do it for fun.**

* * *

The ladies made breakfast and ate it, keeping up a light banter. Sniping playfully at each other. Maura insisted they let her clean up since they had done the cooking and neither Jane nor Grace put up much of a fight.

"I have to run some errands in Ellsworth today, so I'll be gone most of the day," Grace informed them. "What are your plans for the day?" she inquired. She had initially planned to spend the day with Jane and Maura but thought a little alone time in a romantic setting might be just the trick to help these two move their relationship along.

"I thought we'd take it easy today," Jane replied. "Maybe walk along the shore up to Cranberry Point, do some beach combing."

"We had a big storm about a week ago. The waves were huge, although the storm surge didn't quite make it up onto the lawn, thank God. Nonetheless you should find all manner of interesting things washed up on the shore. Feel free to borrow any of the books here or in the cottage when you get back from your walk. Jane, you know where the playing cards and board games are if you feel like it, although I don't think I'd recommend either Master Mind or Trivial Pursuit with this one," she stated indicating Maura with a tilt of her head.

With that she grabbed her coat and purse, scratched the cat behind the ears and was out the door heading for the two-story, two-car garage that looked more like it should house farm implements than the gleaming, vermillion red, late model, BMW X5 that was roaring down the driveway moments later.

"So, you up for a walk on the beach this morning?" Jane asked Maura.

"That sounds lovely."

"Great, just give me 15 minutes to take a shower."

Jane went back to the cottage for her shower but Maura decided to stay behind and peruse Grace's bookshelves. Avoiding the wide variety of fiction books she picked up one of the books that was obviously related to Grace's dissertation and began reading the introduction. She was through the first chapter and well into the second by the time Jane came to retrieve her for their walk.

"Are you ready to go? Or would you rather stay and read for a while" Jane asked, finding Maura curled up in one of the comfortable recliners in the living room engrossed in whatever it was she was reading.

"No I'm looking forward to our adventure," Maura replied. "But do you suppose Grace would mind if I borrowed this book while we're here? The topic really is fascinating and outside of any area I've studied before."

"I'm pretty sure the books down here are the ones she's already been through. She keeps the stuff she's currently working on upstairs in her office, so it shouldn't be a problem but we can double check when she get's back this evening."

"Great let's go then" Maura said, practically bouncing with her enthusiasm for their hike. "I can't wait to see the local flora and fauna."

Jane just smiled indulgently at her friend and held the door open for her.

They walked to the end of Grace's property and set off in a more or less southerly direction along the shore. Maura was glad she'd worn her hiking boots. The rocky coast in this area was a challenge to one's balance and the extra ankle stability provided by the boots was definitely a plus. They walked for about forty minutes over everything from large rocks to sandy patches. They saw lobster buoys and mangled traps, blue rubber gloves that strangely seemed to always be for the right hand never the left, soda cans and bleach bottles, all manner of shells (mostly broken on the rocks), heaps of stinky seaweed, and delicate sea urchins (also mostly broken on the rocks). Jane turned out to be an expert at spotting beach glass that the waves had turned milky white, green, or brown and rounded all the sharp edges after decades of rolling on the sandy ocean bottom to finally be returned to the shore and into human hands. Occasionally Jane would declare a piece "not done yet" and toss it back out into the ocean. They found a number of rare blue pieces that fit into that category. "Somebody's been seeding the ocean with blue glass" she declared.

"Excuse me?" Maura asked, clearly confused by Jane's comment.

"They're throwing blue bottles into the ocean in hopes that years or even decades from now someone like us will be strolling along the beach and find a perfectly worn piece of blue beach glass. Blue beach glass is extremely rare. You see it in souvenir shops but that stuff is man made by tumbling it with sand and water in a rock polisher. It's not the same as finding it on the beach."

"Technically, I suppose that's littering," Maura commented, "but there's something kind of romantic about throwing a bottle into the ocean and having faith that some time in the distant future someone, maybe even one of your descendents, will find it and treasure it."

"I never thought of it that way." Jane smiled at Maura and took her hand.

They had come around the end of the point and were standing on a huge rock looking out at the ocean dotted with a myriad of brightly colored lobster buoys. In the distance a white boat with a red strip was working a line of traps. Seagulls circled lazily above the boat hoping to score some of the fish used to bait the lobster traps. The sun was warm but the breeze off the ocean was anything but.

"Let's sit for a bit and enjoy the view," Jane said, pulling Maura down beside her on the rock. She put her arm around Maura and pulled her close sharing her warmth with the honey blond. Maura snuggled into Jane's side and stared out at the waves. The tide was coming in and occasionally a larger wave would hit the rocks just so and send a plume of spray 8 to 10 feet into the air.

Maura would have been content to sit in silence and enjoy the majestic view but she sensed that Jane had chosen this place for the conversation they both knew was coming.

* * *

Maura's suspicions were correct; Jane had come specifically to this spot to talk to Maura. Something about this wild landscape soothed her soul. Here she felt she could face down all her demons and fears and win.

Right now her greatest fear was admitting to herself and Maura the real reason she had turned down Casey's proposal. Sure, he had been treating her poorly almost since the moment he had reentered her life and she had let him get away with it over and over until he had presented her with an ultimatum disguised as a marriage proposal. She had finally let him have it. Calling him on everything from disappearing from her life for months at a time to waiting to tell her he was returning to Afghanistan until after he had slept with her, but in her heart she knew they were all just excuses. Her relationship with Casey had been a convenient way to hide from her feelings for Maura, and when it came down to it she couldn't take that final step. She couldn't make the decision that would forever put an end to her dream of a happily ever after with the true love of her life no matter how unlikely she thought it was that dream would come true.

So she had sent Casey packing and here she was on the windswept coast of Maine about to take a leap of faith that, one way or another, would change her life forever. No matter what Maura's response, Jane knew that after today they could never go back to what they had been. She was terrified and exhilarated at the same time. Since Casey had reentered her life she hadn't been herself. She had been meek and weepy, sublimating her own needs and desires in an attempt to be someone Casey would want to be with. Now she was done with meek and weepy, bold and brassy Detective Jane Rizzoli was back and she was ready to go after the one thing she wanted more than anything else in this world, Maura.

Taking a deep breath, she released it slowly in an attempt to calm her nerves. "I owe you an apology," she began, continuing to stare out at the waves rather than at Maura.

"What?" Maura asked, her brow furrowed in confusion, "whatever for?" This was not at all what she had been expecting Jane to say.

"So many things," Jane replied in a tone laden with sadness. "I haven't been a very good friend lately. You've been going through so much with the kidney donation and all the drama with Hope and Cailyn and with Doyle's trial and I've been so absorbed with my own trouble that I haven't been there when you needed me. Instead I whined incessantly about a guy who clearly wasn't worth even a fraction of the breath it took to whine about him. To make matters worse you've been on the receiving end of my bad temper more times than I can count. Not because you deserved it but because you were a convenient target. I swear I don't know why you don't run screaming in the other direction anytime I enter a room."

Jane paused and Maura wasn't sure what to say or even if she should say anything. As she contemplated what might be an appropriate rejoinder to Jane's admission, Jane took the decision out of her hands by continuing, "but none of that is the real reason I need to apologize to you" she said barely above a whisper, still not looking at Maura. "I need to apologize because I've been a coward and because I've been lying to you. Not actively but by omission because I've been too afraid to tell you the truth."

"Jane, you can tell me anything," Maura told her friend, grabbing her hand and trying to get Jane to look at her.

Finally, Jane's eyes moved from the waves and took in Maura's concerned countenance. She smiled weakly, "I know Maur, I know. I just, I don't want … I know it sounds lame but … I don't want to lose my best friend."

"Nothing you could say would make that happen." Maura insisted.

"I know you believe that, but some things Maura, once they're said they change the way people act no matter how hard they try not to let it happen" tears were welling in Jane's eyes.

Witnessing Jane's struggle was breaking Maura's heart. She was certain now where Jane was going with this conversation and she longed to ease her burden. To be the first to say "I love you" and tell Jane that everything was going to work out, but she knew that after everything that had happened in the past year, especially with Casey and the way Jane had treated Maura, the only way to for Jane to exorcise the guilt she felt was for her to find the courage to confess her love for Maura. Jane needed to prove she was worthy of Maura by being brave enough to say it first. In Jane's mind, to deserve Maura's love she had to be brave enough to risk losing her most precious possession, their friendship. So Maura said the only thing she could think of, "trust me Jane," she pleaded, "you can trust me."

Looking into hazel eyes shining with unshed tears Jane heard her Maura's words and found the courage she lacked. "I didn't say no to Casey because he was being a jerk or because his proposal was delivered in the form of an ultimatum," she confessed. "I turned him down because he isn't the person I want to share the rest of my life with … you are. I'm in love with you Maura. I have been for a really long time. I tried to hide from it by getting involved with Casey but when it came down to a decision between marrying him or taking a chance with you, well, it really wasn't a difficult call to make. I know you deserve better than me after the way I've treated you, but if you feel the same way and if your willing to give me a chance I swear I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you!" she finished, her heart beating so hard her whole body was trembling.

Pressed up against Jane's side, Maura could feel Jane's body shaking. She took Jane's face in her hands and looked deeply into soulful brown eyes, "I'm in love with you Jane Rizzoli, I have been since the first time we worked a case together. You challenged me Jane, pushed me to give you a manner of death before I was ready, insisted I call reddish brown stains blood, and generally made a nuisance of yourself in the morgue until the autopsy was done but you never belittled the importance of what I did or made me feel like anything less than a full member of the homicide team. And you were magnificent, confident and bold and fearless. You owned any room you entered and commanded the respect of all of your fellow police officers. That's the Jane Rizzoli I fell in love with and I'm glad to see she's back. I will never ask you to be less than who you are Jane!"

"You love me too?" Jane asked with wonder in her voice.

Maura giggled, she couldn't help herself, "Yes, Jane I love you too. Is that all you got out of my little speech," she said grinning at her love.

"Oh I heard all the rest of it," Jane replied with a grin to match Maura's, "I just wanted to hear that part again."

The newly professed lovers spent the next few minutes staring at each other wearing matching goofy grins and exchanging "I love yous" until the cold ocean breeze intruded on their moment driving them up off the rocks.

"Come this way" Jane said extending her hand to Maura. "There's a path back through the woods. It's shorter than going along the shore and not as exposed to the ocean breezes, besides if we go back this way we don't have to worry about maintaining our balance on the rock and we can hold hands. If you want," Jane's smile had turned suddenly shy.

"I want" was Maura's straight-forward reply.


	5. More Relationship Stuff

**A/N: So I should probably apologize up front to those of you who were hoping for a little M rated smut in this chapter. As much as I enjoy reading it, I've never attempted to write it and I don't think I'll be starting with this fic. So you may find this chapter a bit anticlimactic if that is what you were hoping for, but I think there is still some fun ahead. My plan was and is to get the ladies through their stay in Maine and back to Boston before I mark this fic complete. I hope you enjoy this installment.**

**I may have mentioned it before but I don't own Rizzoli and Isles and I don't make any money from this story.**

* * *

The path through the woods was filled with the magnificent colors of New England in the fall, red, gold, orange, and deep purple but the beauty of it all was lost on the two women who only had eyes for each other. The path lead them to the end of the road Grace lived on and from their it was less than half a mile back to her house. Jane and Maura walked hand in hand in comfortable silence, each marveling at the change in their relationship status but by the time they reached the cottage both were starting to wonder about the full implications of this change on there life back in Boston.

They entered the cottage and removed their jackets. "Would you like some tea or hot chocolate to help warm you up?" Jane asked Maura.

"Hot chocolate sounds wonderful!" Maura responded enthusiastically and Jane moved around the small kitchen with the ease of long familiarity, taking out a pan and checking the fridge to see if Grace had put any milk in there. She had, so Jane pulled it out and poured it into the pan adding four generous scoops of Ghirardelli chocolate.

Maura was enjoying watching Jane move confidently around the kitchen but she couldn't stop herself from asking the question that was on both their minds. "What are we going to do when we go home?"

"What do you mean?" Jane wasn't trying to be difficult. She genuinely wanted to know what aspect of their situation Maura was referring to. There new relationship status would affect their work and private lives in profound and, no doubt, unexpected ways. She knew her ever-prepared friend might be thinking about any number of issues they needed to address.

Maura did not take offense at the question. "Where do I start?" She responded with a wry laugh. "Who do we tell? Family? Co-workers? Lt Cavanaugh? No body yet? If we decide to keep it private how long will we keep it private and what do we do if someone asks us a direct question? You know I can't lie. If we decide to tell people what do we say? Are you my girlfriend? Lover? Partner? How do we act in public? Are you opposed to PDAs? Will our living arrangements change? Is it too soon to even be talking about that? If we decide to move in together should we ask Angela to move out? Do you think she'd want to sublet your apartment? I'm assuming you want to move into my home but maybe we should look for a new place?"

Jane chuckled, "okay, okay one at a time please your making me dizzy!"

"Who do we tell? Everyone, I'm proud to call you my girlfriend. Do you think taking out a full-page ad in the Boston Globe would be too much? But seriously, the only concern I have about telling folks is that we have to tell Ma first because if she's not the first to know we will never hear the end of it. After that I don't think it matters who we tell when because Ma will have gotten to them all long before we have a chance to!"

"You don't think Angela will have a problem with you dating a woman?" Maura asked, relieved that this didn't seem to be an issue for Jane.

"Nah, we actually talked about it once after I'd turned down yet another of her ridiculous blind dates. She asked me if she should be fixing me up with women instead of men and said she was fine with it if that was the case. Of course at the time I vehemently denied being gay but then I hadn't met you yet." Jane winked at her girlfriend. "Actually I think Ma will be thrilled I'm dating you. She always did want a doctor in the family!"

"As far as what we call each other girlfriend, lover, and partner all work for me, although maybe we could keep "lover" just between us. As far as living together is concerned I'd say we're about halfway there already so it's probably not too soon unless you want to take a little time to make sure you were actually in your right mind when you told me you loved me earlier and agreed to be my girlfriend."

Jane said it as a joke but Maura saw the very real vulnerability hiding behind the humor. "Jane, let me make myself perfectly clear, I am completely sane and I am completely in love with you and I want nothing more in this world than to be your girlfriend and to live with you for the rest of our lives."

"In that case" Jane replied surreptitiously wiping a tear from her cheek, "I'd love to move in with you. I think we can ask my mother if she wants to sublet my apartment but she'll probably want to stay in the guesthouse. It will give her better access for nagging us about giving her grandchildren."

"You know Maura, there is one very important issue we haven't dealt with yet that really ought to come before all the rest" Jane said with an odd look on her face, both hesitant and eager at the same time.

"What's that?" Maura asked, wracking her brain for anything she might have forgotten.

"This" Jane replied, slowly approaching Maura and wrapping her arms around the smaller woman. She looked into Maura's hazel eyes and seeing comprehension dawning there leaned in slowly, giving Maura the opportunity to stop her. But Maura had no intention of stopping her and went up on her tiptoes to meet Jane's lips. The kiss was slow and soft at first, almost tentative but grew quickly in intensity until Jane's tongue begged entrance at Maura's lips. Maura granted it eagerly and moaned softly at the feel of Jane's tongue gently exploring her mouth. After a few moments that lasted an eternity they separated just far enough to look into each other's eyes. "Wow" Jane breathed.

"Definitely wow" Maura agreed with a grin.

"Maura" Jane began nervously, "I've never, ya know, with a woman."

"Neither have I" Maura returned "but I've…"

"Done a lot of research online?" Jane asked with a laugh? She was both surprised and relieved by the fact that Maura had never been with a woman. Not that she would have been anymore jealous of a female lover than she was of Maura's previous male lovers. She just liked the idea of the two of them "figuring it out" together. Not that she'd ever admit it but Jane had done her own "research" in the form of lesbian films and literature and although she knew what she saw and read wouldn't be completely accurate it gave her an idea of what was expected.

Moving the hot chocolate off the burner and turning off the stove. Jane took Maura's hand and led her upstairs to the bedroom. "Let's put that research into practice shall we?" she murmured into Maura's ear, making the honey blond shiver.

"That sounds like an excellent plan!" Maura replied.

* * *

Hours later the two were awoken by a shrill ringing tone. Their limbs were so entwined it took them quite a while to untangle themselves so Jane could make it across the room to the intercom. "Hey Grace, back already?" Jane asked in a husky tone.

"Actually, I've been back for two hours. I'd ask what you two have been up to but I think I know." Grace replied in a smug tone, "at least I hope I do!"

"I was wondering what you two wanted to do about dinner but if you're otherwise occupied I'll understand." Grace announced, barely containing a chuckle.

Jane glance over to the bed to see if Maura's face was as red as her own but found Maura rather entranced by the sight of her standing naked in the middle of the room talking on the intercom. Jane was tempted to act on the invitation in Maura's eyes but there was plenty of time for that later and they had already missed lunch. "Give us 30 minutes and we'll be over to discuss dinner," she said into the intercom.

"Okay, see you then," was Grace's amused reply.

When Jane returned to the bed Maura had the most adorable pout on her lips. Jane couldn't help herself she had to kiss the pout away. "Come on Doctor Isles, aren't you the one who's always telling me food is our body's fuel and its important not to skip meals?"

"Fine but you better eat well because we'll be burning a lot of that fuel later tonight!" Maura declared with mock sternness.

"Yes ma'am," Jane replied with an anticipatory gleam in her eye.


	6. Maura's Question

**A/N: Hello again. I wanted to thank all of you who have favorited/followed this story or left a review as a guest. I try to respond to all reviews but as you know that isn't possible with guest reviewers so I'll take this opportunity to say thanks to all of you. All feedback is appreciate even if it's in the form of following the story.**

**There's a part of this chapter that I'm a little nervous about posting, as some folks may disagree or even take offense. If you disagree with anything in this chapter feel free to say so in a review just please keep it respectful. Thanks!**

**I don't own R&I, blah, blah blah. You know the drill.**

* * *

Grace didn't return from town until after 11 AM so Jane and Maura enjoyed a lazy morning in bed listening to the waves crashing against the rocky shore and the seagulls crying to each other.

They were sitting in the kitchen enjoying a cup of coffee and reading the Saturday/Sunday edition of the Bangor Daily News when Grace returned.

"Good morning ladies, you looked more rested than I would have expected," Grace quipped.

Jane just scowled at her but she was in much too good a mood to put any real heat behind it.

"What have you two got planned for the rest of the day?" Grace asked when she didn't get a rise out of either woman.

"I thought I'd take Maura to Bar Harbor. I know it's a tourist trap but it's a quaint tourist trap and Maura's never been before. You wanna join us."

"I wouldn't want to intrude on your private time. All kidding aside, it's important to have alone time at the beginning of a relationship." Grace replied genuinely concerned that this relationship get off to a good start.

Eager to allay her fears and anxious for her company on their outing Maura said, "Although Jane and I are just beginning to explore the sexual component of our relationship we've really been together for quite a while. You wouldn't be intruding at all."

Ignoring Jane's grown as she buried her face in her hands; Grace said "In that case, why don't we take the ferry from Winter Harbor. We'll miss all the weekend tourist traffic and we might see some harbor seals or even a whale. If we leave right now we should get there in time for a late lunch. Tourist trap or not there are some great places to eat in Bar Harbor."

"Sounds like a plan," Jane said, heading for the door. "I just want to brush my teeth and grab a jacket. "You coming Maura?"

"I've already brushed my teeth." Maura replied. Would you mind grabbing my jacket and my purse?"

"Sure thing," Jane replied and headed out.

As soon as the door was shut Maura turned to Grace with a serious expression. "Can I ask you a question? If it's too personal you can tell me to mind my own business."

"You can ask me anything you like," Grace replied wondering what Maura might want to ask without Jane in the room.

"You went to Mass this morning so you're a practicing Catholic?"

She stated it as a question more than a statement of fact so Grace responded, "that's correct."

"But you don't seem to have a problem with Jane and I having a relationship?" Again the sentence was phrased as a question.

"That's because I don't." Sensing where Maura's concern lay she went on. "I guess it's hard for someone who wasn't raised Catholic to understand. I'm what they call a cradle Catholic. I was born and raised a Catholic. It's all I know and the rituals of the church are familiar and comforting to me but I don't agree with everything the church teaches. We don't ever talk about it much but I'm pretty sure there are a lot of Catholics like myself who are at odds with the church's hard line stances on issues like contraception, priests being allowed to marry, and homosexuality.

I suppose you could call us hypocrites, going to church each week and calling ourselves Catholic when we don't agree with all of the church's doctrine but the way I see it if the church is ever going to change it's not going to be at the urging of a bunch of angry former members railing against the teachings of the church or because of anything anyone outside the church has to say. It's going to be because active members of the church are quietly changing attitudes from within. I know folks would like to see some great revolution in church doctrine but it rarely happens that way with any large institution and that's doubly true of the Catholic church. It may not be obvious to non-Catholics but the church has actually changed a great deal in the past 40 or 50 years. I mean up until the 1960's we were still saying the Mass in Latin."

Grace paused then taking Maura's hand said, "You worried about how Jane's family will react?"

Maura nodded, "She said not to worry but she's so close to her family. It would really hurt her if she had to choose between her family and me. I don't think I could let her do that." Tears welled in Maura's eyes.

"I suppose Angela may feel differently about her own daughter but I know for a fact she doesn't have a problem with homosexuality in general." Grace said.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because, she's the one who recognized what was happening when I had my first serious crush on another girl. Even I didn't really understand what was happening. She took me aside and talked to me about it. She's the one who told me that the Catholic Church was slow to change and sometime it took a long time to catch up to the rest of society. She said she was confident that one day the church would regard same sex couple in the same way they now regard opposite sex couple. Thanks to Angela I eventually had the courage to come out to my parents, who surprised me by being more concerned about the fact that in the military, thanks to "Don't Ask Don't Tell," I would have to hide that aspect of who I really am."

At this moment the door to the cottage opened and Jane bounded out carrying both their jackets and Maura's purse. "Thanks Grace. You've really helped allay my fears."

"Any time Maura, I mean that." She gave Maura's hand a final squeeze and got up to retrieve her own jacket as well as her camera and a small pair of binoculars. "Come on ladies, let's hit the dusty trail!"

"I thought we were going by boat." Maura said perplexed.

"It's just a figure of speech sweetheart." Jane told her with a fond grin.

"Then by all means let's hit it!"

* * *

The ferry ride to Bar Harbor was fun. The weather cooperated with a cool, sunny fall day and although no whales happened by they did see an eagle or two and Jane swore she caught sight of a harbor seal before he disappeared beneath the steel blue waves. Bar Harbor was hopping with tourists taking a break from leaf peeping to do a some souvenir shopping in the many and varied shops that lined the streets. The cruise ship at anchor in the harbor, one of the last of the season, added another 2 to 3 thousand pedestrians to the multitude of visitors that had driven up to the area from points south.

As soon as they got off the boat Grace took them to a lively restaurant called Geddy's where the walls were decorated with signs from long gone businesses or sporting pithy sayings like "Don't Squat with Your Spurs On" and vanity license plates from seemingly every state in the union. Grace recommended the Maple Mustard Scallops but said that everything on the menu was great. She convinced them both to try the Shipyard Pumkinhead Ale brewed in Portland Maine and only available at this time of year.

They worked off their too-large lunch by letting Grace lead them up and down the streets of the small town showing them the best places to buy souvenirs, books about the area or by local authors, and the standard tourist apparel like T-Shirts that said "Got Lobstah?" or baseball caps with the University of Maine Black Bear on them.

As they were heading back to the ferry for the trip back to Winter Harbor she pulled them into a small ice cream parlor, "You can't visit Maine without sampling some Muddy Boots?" she said with a grin.

"Excuse me?" Maura asked perplexed.

Laughing Grace explained, "It's ice cream, vanilla with caramel ripple and brownie bits. Gifford's Ice Cream is a local company. They developed Muddy Boots in cooperation with the LL Bean Company to celebrate that company's 100th birthday this year. It's really good, although truth be told, I prefer their Maine Maple Walnut. Moose Tracks isn't bad either, it's got fudge swirl and peanut butter mini-cups in vanilla ice cream."

They each made their selections and headed back to the ferry for the ride back to Winter Harbor. A dense fog had rolled in so there wasn't much to see on the return trip.

"How can he find his way back in this fog. I can barely see the bow of the boat from where we're sitting." Jane sounded like she was more worried than she wanted to admit.

"GPS and radar," Grace explained calmly. "Plus he's got the mate up front keeping an eye out for obstacles and the boat captains all keep in touch with each other over the radio. There's nothing to be worried about." The fact that Grace really did seem totally unconcerned did more to quell Jane's fears than the explanation she had given.

So they sat back and enjoyed the ride. "I half expect the Flying Dutchman to appear out of the fog and block our path." Maura said quietly.

"I was out on a day like this once and we passed within 10 yards of the Margaret Todd. She's a historic 151-foot Schooner out of Bar Harbor that does 2-hour sight seeing cruises. I didn't see her until she was just off our bow and I tell you it scared the bejeezus out of me at first. It looked like some ghost ship come to sink our ship and steal our souls to serve as her crew!" Grace reminisced.

The trip passed uneventfully with no ghost ships appearing out of the mist to lead the ferry to it's doom. By the time the ladies made it back to Grace's place the fog was so thick it had swallowed not just the island directly off shore but the rocky coast and a good bit of Grace's yard. "Looks like a good night to curl up by the fire with a good book." Grace remarked. "You ladies are welcome to join me or you can build your own fire in the cottage. Jane you know where to get firewood right?" Jane indicated that she did. "I don't know about you all but I'm still full from lunch so I'll probably just have soup or a sandwich and a salad a little later on. Again, your welcome to join me but I stocked the fridge and the pantry over there so you can have a romantic picnic in front of the fire if you like."

"Thanks Grace, that sounds like a great idea." Jane said, taking Maura's hand.

"Yes, it sounds lovely and thank you for showing us around Bar Harbor today. I had a wonderful time and I got some great souvenirs for the folks back home," Maura added.

"It was my pleasure! I like to complain about Bar Harbor and all the tourists there but it's fun to visit every once and a while, especially with someone who's visiting for the first time." Grace sent them on their way and set about building a fire in the fireplace.


	7. Last Day & Going Home

**A/N: Well folks this is it, the last chapter. I'm really sorry to see this one end, so much so I almost delayed posting this last chapter just to make the experience last a little longer! This is far and away my longest fic I've ever posted. I had a lot of fun writing it and even more fun reading your reactions to it once I posted it. Thanks for all the great reviews and all the follows and favorites too.**

**Who needs to make money off this fic (which I don't by the way) when I have all your reviews?**

**I hope you enjoy this last chapter. I'm not 100% happy with the ending but try as I might I couldn't come up with anything better. I'd be interested to know if any of you have ideas about what I might have done to make the ending better.**

* * *

Monday morning dawned just as foggy as the previous evening had been. Sitting at the table in Grace's kitchen, Jane and Maura were trying to decide how to spend the last day of their long weekend.

"I wanted to take you up to Schoodic Point to see the waves crashing on the rocks there and maybe hike up to Schoodic Head to see the view but this really isn't a great day for it," Jane lamented.

"You know, if you drive inland just a bit you might get out of this fog. There won't be any waves crashing on the rocks but there are lots of great places to hike," Grace offered. "Alternatively, at the risk of incurring Jane's wrath, there are loads of great artist studios and art galleries in this area and if you're into antiques there's no better area to go antiquing."

"You had to go there." Jane glared at Grace, who seemed completely unconcerned by Jane's ire.

Maura on the other hand looked like Grace had just offered her a first edition autographed copy of Gray's Anatomy. "Oh Jane, please can we check out the art galleries and antique stores."

"Again with the puppy dog eyes? Looks like you've found my kryptonite!" She grumbled. "Fine, let's go antiquing!" she said with faux enthusiasm but Grace caught the fond smile she aimed at Maura as the smaller woman headed for the door.

"Hang on," Grace stopped them in their tracks. She went to one of the small tables in the living room and pulled out the drawer. Rummaging through the drawer for a few moments she pulled out a colorful trifold pamphlet. "Here you go," she said handing the pamphlet to Jane. "This will show you where most of the shops and galleries are."

"Gee thanks," Jane said in a tone dripping with sarcasm, which earned her an elbow in the ribs from Maura. "I mean thank you ever so much for your kind hospitality," she amended in an over done European accent. Maura and Grace both just shook their heads at her antics.

"Bye ladies, have fun. I'll see you when you get back. We'll do something fun for dinner. Oooh, how about pizza. I haven't had pizza in ages."

"Sounds good!" Jane replied enthusiastically. At the look from Maura she said, "hey, I'm taking you antiquing today, I think that deserves some kind of reward."

"I suppose your right, although I had planned a completely different kind of reward," Maura responded smiling suggestively at Jane.

"Both! We can do both can't we?"

"Perhaps"

Grace was still laughing five minutes after they left!

* * *

Grace had called Jane and Maura while they were still out and asked them to pick up the pizzas on their way home. They arrived toting a pepperoni and a veggie lovers' pizza, an oil painting by a local artist of the lobster boats anchored in Corea Harbor, and an "exquisite Indiana glass Tea Room vase," which according to Maura, would be perfect as a center piece on their dinning room table. Jane lost the line of the conversation for a bit just thinking about "**_their_ **dinning room table."

Grace had decided to forgo eating at the table so they could sit around the fireplace in the living room, while they ate. She had already spread out a blanket and some cushions to sit on and had set out plates, napkins, wine glasses and a nice bottle of Malbec, one of her personal favorite wines. "I don't know much about wine," she told them I just know what I like. I have others in the pantry if you'd prefer something else."

They both assured her the Malbec would be fine.

The evening passed pleasantly with good food, good wine, good friends, and good conversation. They talked about their respective days, and Grace asked them about their work. They discussed some of their more recent cases.

"Thank God for folks like you, I don't think I could do your job," she told them both.

"No stomach for the blood and guts? Jane asked with a grin.

"Well that, but mostly I was thinking about the emotional and psychological side of it. I'm pretty sure at some point I'd find myself kicking the shit out of some asshole that abused his wife and kids. Probably around about the same time I became a raging alcoholic! Seriously, what keeps you sane?"

Jane answered, "She does," indicating Maura at the same time Maura said "Being with Jane."

They both blushed and smiled shyly at each other.

"Then I'm doubly glad you found each other," Grace told them.

They spent the next few moments in silence, looking at the fire and contemplating what they'd just been talking about.

Grace broke the comfortable silence asking, "So are you ready to go back to the 'real world'?" They all knew this question was more than just a conversational tidbit to keep the discussion moving along. A lot had changed between the two women in the short time they'd been staying with Grace.

"I'm a little scared," Maura admitted.

"Of what?" Jane asked concerned and genuinely curious. She always figured Maura would be the one who wouldn't care about what anyone else thought about their relationship.

"Well, I'm a little nervous about telling everyone about the change in our relationship, although the two of you have me pretty well convinced that everything will work out on that front. Mainly I'm worried about how we'll make the transition from best friends to lovers when we're back home. It's one thing to be girlfriends here where we don't have any routines or expectations but what about when we're home where we've always done things a certain way or acted a certain way. I mean when we're living together full time will my neatness drive you crazy? Will your wanting to watch Sport Center instead of the evening news make me crazy? Will we agree on what is the appropriate way to act in public and who sleeps on which side of the bed?"

"I thought we already agreed on who sleeps on which side of the bed? Do you want to switch?" Jane asked perplexed.

"We do, it's just an example!" Maura seemed to be getting distressed.

"At the risk of butting in where I'm not wanted, can I make an observation and a recommendation?" Grace asked.

"Go for it."

"Please do."

"Excellent, I have observed the two of you interacting all weekend now and I think you are much too considerate of each others feelings to have to worry about any of those things you just mentioned. My recommendation is that you hold onto that consideration for as long as you can. I've seen lots of couples that have been together for decades and the happy ones are always the ones who think about how their words or actions affect their partner. That, and they communicate **_with_** each other not **_at_** each other.

I know it sounds so clichéd but you'd be amazed how many unhappy couples I've seen who stopped talking to each other and only talk at each other. It takes work and a willingness to sometimes let the other person; I don't like the word win, but maybe to let the other person come first sometimes. Look at me talking like I've actually been in a long-term relationship," Grace paused shaking her head at her own folly. "I haven't, but I guess I've been around enough couples to make some observations. Anyway, that's my advice to you, take it or leave it. I think you two have the potential to be one of those happy couples that stay together for the rest of your lives."

"On that cheerful note, its getting late and you two have a long drive ahead of you tomorrow." She got up and began clearing the dishes and pizza boxes from the living room.

Jane got up and pulled Grace into a hug, "Thank you," she said with feeling.

"Whatever for?" She asked.

"For having us here, for helping us make this transition from best friends to girlfriends," Jane responded.

"For a willing ear and good advice," Maura added.

"We're a full service B&B," Grace quipped, trying to brush off their sincere thanks. Looking at their matching scowls she said, "You're welcome, and I don't just mean for the advice. I mean your welcome here anytime, together or separately, for a vacation or whenever life is beating you down and you need to escape for a while. You're family, if the cottage is taken there is always room for you here in the main house. Got it?" She asked with mock sternness.

"Got it!" they replied in unison.

* * *

The next morning, after a quick breakfast (Jane had leftover pizza and Maura had yoghurt with granola in it), Jane and Maura headed back to Boston. They spent most of the ride talking about their trip and the open cases they were working. But the closer they got to Boston the quieter they got, each caught up in their own thoughts. It's one thing to believe that everyone would be okay with the new development in their relationship it was another thing entirely to have to tell everyone, especially that first person, especially when that first person was Angela Rizzoli.

By the time they pulled into Maura's driveway Jane was wrapping a lock of hair around her index finger incessantly and while Maura was giving similar treatment to the ring on her middle finger.

"May as well get this over with," Jane said, "wont be able to relax until we tell her."

"I agree," said Maura, "the sooner the better." They got out of the car and Jane grabbed their bags for the back seat. Coming around to Jane's side of the car Maura grabbed her own bag from Jane and went up on her tiptoes to give Jane a kiss. "For luck," she informed Jane.

Grinning, Jane grabbed Maura around the waist and pulled her flush against her body, "Kiss me again." She breathed against Maura's lips, "we need all the luck we can get!" Maura eagerly complied.

Walking into the house they were surprised to find Angela in the kitchen making a pot of coffee. "There you are!" She said turning from the coffee maker. "Did you have a good …" She paused, peering closely at the two ladies. "Something's different with you two, what is it? What happened?"

"What? How did?" Jane sputtered.

"I knew it!" Angela crowed "Something did happen! Are you a couple now?" she asked hopefully.

"That's just scary." Jane exclaimed. "How in hell did you figure that out!"

"Language, Jane" Maura said.

"I'm your mother," Angela supplied, "We're connected, I know when something important happens to you!" Angela looked at Jane indignantly. "And I might have seen you two kissing when you got out of the car." She laughed at the look of consternation on Jane's face.

"Really, Ma, that is so wrong! You had me believing you're a mind reader."

"Ya but it was so much fun! But is it true, you're a couple now?"

"Yes Angela, Jane an I are together now. Is that okay with you?"Maura asked apprehensively.

"Okay? Is it okay with me!? It's what I've been praying for for months now!" Angela exclaimed pulling both of them into a fierce hug. "If I'd known sending you up north together would get it done, I'd have sent you away a long time ago," she said with a wink and a grin, releasing the two stunned women. "Now tell me how it happened, I want all the juicy details."

Jane just groaned as Maura happily launched into the tale.


End file.
